Search This Blog

Subscribe to this blog

Follow by Email

Interview with Lindsey J Parsons

It is my honor to present Lindsey J Parsons, author of Vortex: Return of the Effra Vol 1

On a night when prophecies stir, an outraged dragon vents his anger, Damian is ripped from everything he knows and Sam's nightmares become real...

Sam isn’t enjoying university life, she’s disillusioned with her course and having second thoughts about her future. It doesn’t help that she keeps having a scary, recurring nightmare and when she thinks things couldn’t get worse a creepy man follows her back to her room.

Damian is unique, he has silver eyes, horns and wings, he is also being visited by a ghost girl. She looks so sad and frightened he feels compelled to help her, but the night he reaches out to save her from a dragon’s fiery breath he gets ripped from his life, his world, from everything he knows.

Now it’s Damian who’s lost in an unfamiliar world that’s devoid of magic and full of strange monsters. His only connection with home is Sam who he recognises as the ghost girl. Sam has to put aside her fear and disbelief in Damian’s explanations about himself to try and help him find his way home. But in a world without magic is this possible?

Q. When did you begin writing?

A. I am relatively new to writing as I only started a few years ago. I attempted, as a teenager, to write a novel, but after a couple of disastrous pages I gave up and never gave it another thought. Then in 2009 on a whim I decided to try and write a story that was buzzing around in my head. It didn’t go well as everything seemed to come out muddled when I tried to write it down. However, it did give me an excuse to buy a laptop and once I tried writing on that I was away!

Q. Do you write primarily fantasy, or have you explored other genres? What is it about fantasy that appeals to you?

A. Fantasy is my favorite genre to read and write. I have also written a couple of sci-fi flash fiction stories which I did enjoy and could envisage expanding to full length novels., but I can’t imagine writing in any of the other genres. I love the freedom you get with fantasy, the chance to create your own worlds only limited by your imagination and the rules you make up. Magic and fantastic creatures like dragons and unicorns fascinate me, I love to be able to escape into my own imagination. Someone once told me I didn’t live in the real world, he meant it as a criticism, but actually I don’t for quite a lot of the time.

Q. Can you tell us about Vortex?

A. Vortex is the first book in a trilogy called Return of The Effra. It is primarily about Sam a nineteen year old law student who finds herself responsible for a strange young man who has started following her. The strange man is Damian, he believes he has been brought here from another world and Sam is the key to helping him get home. But Sam and Damian’s fate is tied up in an old prophesy and a very real threat to Damian’s world.

Q. Which character is your favorite and why?

A. That’s a bit like asking which is my favorite child! J I do have a soft spot for Damian, because although he’s indestructible and very strong he’s also vulnerable and struggling to make sense of his emotions, he has a kind of innocents about him that doesn’t fit with who he is perceived to be.

Q. What are your plans for the series?

A. The series is a trilogy and it will end at the end of the third book. I have an idea for another book about one of the characters from this series and I have also written a couple of short stories which will be included in the Alliance of Worldbuilders anthology, based on characters from Return of The Effra.

Q. You’ve recently undertaken the monumental task of setting up your own publishing company. Congratulations! What has been your biggest challenge as a publisher?

A. Thank you! The biggest challenge has to have been getting my head around all the paperwork! I decided to set up as a publisher so I could use a particular printer to print my paper books. It has been an interesting adventure so far, but I never envisaged how much time it would involve. I do like sorting this side of things out though and would like to get more involved with the publishing side in the future.

Q. What has been your greatest challenge as an author?

A. Believing in myself and my work. I have never been the kind of person who pushes themselves forward and never having written anything before I was scared of putting my story out there for others to read. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe it was any good I think I was just nervous of being criticized, but without constructive criticism you can’t learn and improve.

Q. With so many authors choosing to forgo the traditional query/ rejection process in favor of self-publishing, where do you see the publishing industry in the next ten years?

A. Wow, that’s a big question! Publishing is going through big changes at the moment, a little like the music industry did. I personally think that ebooks are going to grow to be as popular if not more so than paper books. Because of this and the ease of self-publishing ebooks I think small indie publishers and individuals are going to hold a bigger chunk of the sales. It’s difficult to tell how this will affect traditional publishing because that is dependent on how the big publishers react, but if they don’t adapt they could very well find themselves struggling in a very large and competitive market place.

Q. As a busy mom and author, how do you find balance?

A. I don’t know about balance, I feel like I wobble precariously through life staggering from one job to the next! I am not very organized so I have to make a conscious effort to keep track of what needs doing, I find keeping a diary helps. My children are older now, my daughters are at university and my son is in high school, so they are less dependent on me these days, which frees up my time for writing more.

Q. Where do you find inspiration for your writing and your art?

A. I find music is my biggest source of inspiration. I love music and nearly always have my ipod playing wherever I am. I spend a lot of time in my car and I always listen to music while I’m driving. I listen to the lyrics and try to imagine the stories behind them and I love to find songs that reflect the stories I’m writing. Music is wonderful for setting the mood and getting you in the right frame of mind.To learn more about Lindsey's work, please visit the following links:Get updates on the series on Facebookhttp://lindseyjparsons.wordpress.com/Follow Lindsey on Twitter

I was born in Stratford upon Avon and grew up nearby. I now live in a crumbly old farm house in a small village in Warwickshire with my three children and an assortment of animal friends. I enjoy reading, writing, horseback riding, archery and looking after the numerous animals that live with me.

I started writing in 2009, on a complete whim and completed ‘Vortex’ my first novel and the first book in a trilogy called Return of The Effra, eighteen months later. I am now working on the second book ‘Wicked Game’. I have also completed a handful of short stories which have been included in three anthologies.